Looking Back

By Arline Adamsick

The Peotone Vedette: March 15, 1974

“Let More Bids for Hall Improvement”

“Convening in the Firemen’s Hall, because the meeting room was torn up with carpentry work, the Peotone Village Board Tuesday night awarded three more contracts on bids in connection with village hall remodeling. The bid of $1,738 for lumber and building supplies from Peotone Farmers Elevator was accepted, although there will be some additional expense for more paneling. A bid request from Andres Wilton Farmers Grain was declined, as they said they did not have the material on hand.

“Two bids were received from Daum Electric – one at $1,300 for quality fixtures and a lower bid of $850 for cheaper materials. The board awarded the work to Daum in the amount of $1,460 to cover additional wiring. The cost is expected to go higher than that to provide 150-amp service, which was not previously specified. Another prospective bidder on electrical work, Howard Croxen, said he was too busy to bid.

“The low bid of the Fedde Home Store of $1,372 was accepted for 80 square yards of Solarian linoleum and 42 square yards of carpeting. The meeting room will be carpeted, and the tile will go in the reception room, office, conference room, and access areas. A higher bid was received from Cawley Floor Covering of Kankakee.

“The prospect of a new pizza parlor for Peotone was discussed by the board with Larry Craven, owner of Lorenzo’s Pizza in Beecher. He told the board he is prepared to lease the building at Crawford and Second Avenue (Street), next door to the bowling alley, and establish a pizza and sandwich business that could seat 52 people. (That estimate seems quite high – it’s a small building!)

“One problem was immediately apparent. Craven wants a license to sell beer, and all four available liquor licenses currently are in use. He emphasized this would be a family-type establishment, with beer sales incidental to the pizza business, but that the two go together. The beer would be on tap only, with no bottles or cans to clutter the premises, he continued.

“After considerable discussion, the board informally agreed to amend the liquor ordinance to provide for an additional license. The board adopted a suggestion from a member of the audience that the new license be limited in some way to sale of beer with food, so as not to set any precedent that could lead to an additional tavern operator seeking a license.

“Mayor Howard Scrivens pointed out the village ordinance does not allow barmaids, and Craven said the beer would be drawn by a male, 19 years or over. (Another discrimination that has passed.)

“An additional possible hitch, parking space, was discussed, although no concrete remedies were spelled out. Craven said he thought most of his business would be on Sundays, whereas bowling alley peak periods are during weeknight league bowling, so he didn’t think there would be too much competition for the available parking spaces.”

At the Holiday Theatre: Held over for a second week – “Man on a Swing,” plus “The Neptune Factor,” for the weekend children’s matinee.

“The Beecher Herald: March 14, 1974”

“Too Much Water and Not Enough Insurance”

“It is almost inevitable the arrival of spring rains will bring problems for the village board. This was again a certainty as the board met Monday night. Not only were there complaints from homeowners, but the village maintenance men had a few big problems to relate, as well.

“Alfred Hassemann reported that, after a rain, surface water backs up into his basement, making it necessary for his sump pump to run almost constantly. He has had Bruns and Newbury Sanitary Service out to inspect the drainage tiles on his property, and they were found to be unobstructed, leading him to the assumption the blockage must be in the alley.

“Trustee Fred Bernhard agreed the bushes and willows growing in the alley might be causing the problem by clogging the tile with roots. Bernhard was authorized to get the situation corrected, even if it required putting in new tiles.

“George Wilkening and LaVern Wiggenhauser were present to seek a solution not only to inefficient and malfunctioning equipment at the sewer plant, but also the problems following even a half-inch rainfall. Trustee Don Kregel reported, hopefully, the replacement parts for the pumps should arrive this week, as they were ordered six weeks ago. When the pumps have been repaired, they will then proceed to correct the problems with the electrical controls, etc.

“The influx of surface water into the sanitary sewer system was not so simply solved. Wiggenhauser reported, on a normal day, the average intake at the sewer plant is from 13,000 to 14,000 gallons a day. Following a rain, the pumps must handle 60,000 gallons. The additional flow takes place within a half hour after a half-inch rainfall. It was the consensus there are downspouts connected to sanitary sewer tiles. Wilkening stated he had been told by a state engineer that the run-off from the roofs of two large houses could double the flow to the plant. This, of course, creates undue wear and tear on the treatment facilities.

“Village Attorney George Buttell suggested a strict enforcement of the village ordinance concerning connecting downspouts to sanitary sewer lines. Trustee Alvin Fugett repeatedly insisted some steps be taken immediately to correct the situation. Buttell will review the ordinance, and the board will check on other possible leaks, such as manholes, etc.”

Jewel Ad for St. Patrick’s Day: Jewel smoked sausage – $1.39/lb.; standing rib roast – $1.29/lb.; Kneip corned beef brisket – $1.09/lb.; Kneip corned beef round – $1.29/lb.; cabbage – 9¢/lb.; green onions – 11¢ bunch; Jewel Maid biscuits – 10 for $1.

The Crete Record: March 14, 1974

–File photo.

“Lumber Feeds Fire; Factory Destroyed”

“A spectacular fire last Thursday night, which could be seen for miles, struck the factory of Component House Parts, a branch of Gibb’s Shop, Inc., which is south of Crete in Faithorn. Damage estimates of between $85,000 and $100,000 have been made.

“Along with the building being completely destroyed, two trucks, a forklift, other manufacturing equipment, and a great deal of lumber burned during the fire that occupied firemen for more than six hours. Gibb’s Shop owner Gilbert Fink stated that of all the damage, he was the most disturbed with the loss of the forklift. ‘It cannot be replaced,’ he said.

“In sifting through the debris, Fink said they are beginning to believe the place was robbed before the fire started. They can find no iron from the eight staple guns, worth $100 each, nor can they find iron chains that should be there, if the two electric, one-half-ton hoists had not been taken before the fire.

Crete Rural Fire Department was first called to the scene about 9:45 p.m., by someone who had seen the blaze. The fire was spreading rapidly when they arrived, Fire Chief Wayne Most said, and grass had caught fire south of the building. Mutual aid was supplied by both Steger Estates Fire Department and Crete Fire Department. In all, more than 30 firemen and six pieces of equipment fought the losing battle, Most noted. Two compressors from the furnace room were reportedly about the only thing saved from the burned building, although firemen were able to contain the blaze so a barn on the property did not catch fire.

“The automobiles of people who flocked to the scene hampered firemen, as the trucks had difficulty getting through the narrow lanes left between cars on the country roads, Most commented. With no water supply in the vicinity, 25-to-30 loads of water were brought to the site by trucks.

“Another problem the firemen encountered was a train on the Milwaukee Railroad that was blocking Faithorn Road, while fire department tankers, one loaded with water and the other trying to get more supplies, sat on each side of the track. Most said the train crew refused to split the train to let the equipment through until a call had been made to Milwaukee Railroad offices. He believed the trucks had waited in that position for 15 minutes before the train was split.

“Finally, when the fire had burned for hours and was well under control, a caterpillar trailer tractor was driven through the still smoldering lumber to spread it and make it possible to leave the scene without danger of the blaze flaring up again.

“Fink reports his insurance comes nowhere near covering the damage. Because of the nature of the business, the lack of water in the area, and no homes in the neighborhood, insurance was very difficult to get on the whole operation. Most reports that arson is suspected, since the furnace area did not burn, and everything was reportedly in good shape when the employees left work at 4:30 in the afternoon.”

Another arson fire suspected…

“Swiss Valley Fire Declared Arson”

“‘Arson, through vandalism’ was responsible for approximately $5,000 damage to a house under construction in Swiss Valley, according to Crete Fire Chief Earl Hothan. This, he said, is the official verdict of Deputy State Fire Marshal Ray Burner from the sub-office of fire station #3 in Chicago Heights, who Hothan called in to inspect the results of the fire.

“Bergner’s verdict was that entrance was gained from a patio door through which a brick had been thrown. Two other windows had been broken in the house being built by Reichert Brothers Construction Co.

“The fire, reported at 12:30 a.m. on March 11, completely gutted an inside bathroom, where it apparently started and caused considerable damage from the flames, heat, and smoke. Hothan said the fire started either in or in the area around a vanity in the bathroom and followed the plumbing stack to the roof. Roof trusses and the roof sheathing were badly charred in this vicinity. The intense heat also softened and twisted the grills over the windows. The inspection did not indicate there could be any reason for the fire starting either from electric wiring or the heating plant in the home.”

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Have a great week and hope you are “back to normal” after losing an hour of sleep last weekend while “springing ahead.” Maybe one of these years will prove to actually be the last for “springing ahead – but I’m not counting on it. Also, it’s time for the ‘wearin’ of the green’ – Happy St. Patrick’s Day and all that goes with it!! Life is Good!!!